After 12km of impossibly steep climbing, on a stage marred by rain and crashes, Chris Froome crossed the finish line atop Alto de l’Angliru Saturday with a smile on his face.

He finished the stage third, 17 seconds behind stage winner Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo), and just behind Team Sky teammate Wout Poels. He also added even more time to his closest GC rival, Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida).

And with that, the Kenyan-born, South African-raised Briton had locked up the fifth Grand Tour victory of his career. Even more impressively, he’d pulled off the elusive Tour-Vuelta double.

Prior to this year, only two riders had won the Tour and Vuelta in the same year — Jacques Anquetil, in 1963, and Bernard Hinault, in 1978. However both of those victories came when the Vuelta was the first Grand Tour of the season and the Tour de France was the last, making Froome the first rider to win the Vuelta-Tour double in its current configuration, which began in 1995.

Froome, 32, also became the first rider to win two Grand Tours in the same season since Italian Marco Pantani won the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in 1998. He will be the first British rider to win the Vuelta a España.

The Team Sky leader leads Nibali by 2:15; his historic achievement will be sealed Sunday when the peloton completes the largely ceremonial final stage into Madrid.

Between the 2017 Tour and Vuelta, Froome will have completed over 6,800km of racing across 42 stages through Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Andorra, and Spain. Though Froome did not win any stages at the Tour, he won two in Spain — an uphill finish at Cumbre del Sol on Stage 9, and the 40km time trial into Logroño on Stage 16. After more than 160 hours of racing his combined margin of victory is expected to be just over three minutes.

The victory comes as a bit of closure on unfinished business for Froome, who had placed second overall at the Vuelta on three occasions in his career, including in the 2011 edition, where he made his Grand Tour breakthrough riding in support of Bradley Wiggins.

“It’s an absolutely amazing feeling,” Froome said Saturday. “A massive thank you to my teammates for all the work they have done over the last few weeks. It’s been an incredible experience, probably one of the hardest Grand Tour I’ve ridden, if not the hardest. There was something different happening every day. I’ve had good days and then I’ve been lying on the ground, bleeding, thinking my race might be over. It’s been a rollercoaster, absolutely relentless. It’s a relief now to finish and to be getting to Madrid.

“I think it probably is my greatest achievement, being the first person to win the Tour de France and then go on to win the Vuelta.”

Chris reminds me so much of Greg Lemond. Seriously,a genetic mutant, with incredible race tactics, all around ability and frankly wins tours designed for the ultra light mountain goats of central Europe to win. They are stacked against s 151 lb tall rider. Yet he has the massive lungs recovery and strength
to beat them with a substantial margin. Just the ability to recover with carrying the weight of a larger rider is staggering.

He is also a truly honest and decent person a family man a good and loyal friend and team mate, socially conscious and a great role model for our sport.
Unlike many of his caliber he also admits mistakes and corrects them.

I say well done mate!

rocktheboat

I say well said Berne! Too many people are ready to run Froome down and I do not understand it on any level. A thoroughly decent and fair-minded competitor who is gracious and humble in victory and honest and generous in defeat. Shame on anyone who would seek to denigrate what has been a hard earned achievement.

Steve S

Come on Froome, send him an autograph, put him out of his misery.

Michele

The evolution of Froome has been great to watch over the past couple of years.

He’s refreshing to listen to, speaks well, and is undoubtedly a great talent on the bike.

I can see where you are coming with the Lemond comparisons, and agree mostly, though Lemond was ‘prettier’ to watch on a bike ????

rocktheboat

Fabulous performance by Froome beating very worthy rivals that is right up there with the best for guts, application, talent and skill. The Vuelta delivers again as it does every year with every stage a gem.

Israel

Time will tell if Froome is the real deal…

For me, every contender of GC dope, it’s impossible to win without performance enhancer drugs…

rocktheboat

Ridiculous comment. You live in the world of fantasy, hearsay and conspiracy theory where facts, evidence and transparency don’t matter. You give every impression of not having the faintest idea of what you are talking about.

Israel

It’s just my opinion, you don’t need to take personal.

I recognize that even with doping, there is a lonnggg way to win a GT.

To me, Armstrong is the winner of those TDF, because the other riders dope too.

After 4, 5, even 6 hours of hard effort on a bike those guys still have power to do a 70 km/h sprint, after so many days in the same race…. think about.

Do you ride a bike at least ?? if you ride, then you know what i am talking about…

important, i don’t want to fight with you, i am free to express myself…

Cheers, and excuse for the english, i am brazilian fan of this sport.

Roger Byvald

Sorry, but he is not the first since Pantani -98 to win 2 GT in 1 season. Contador 2008.

BRK

Well done Froomie. That was an awesome performance and a great race to follow.

Berne Shaw

Why it is important to understand the requirements advantages and disadvantages of weight in grand tours

Anatomy and Physiology

Do not be so romantic to overlook facts. Pure climbers weight less than 140 lbs sometimes 130 or less. Contador weighed less than 135 lbs for most of his career. Chris Froome is extremely thin yet weighs at best 151 often cited as 157.

The modern tours of the last 7 years have ALL sought to deny him or any none central european racer who is not a pure climber they win by decreasing TT and increasing mountain top finishes.

Contador was also a decent TT guy for a pure climber. Yet he HAD to win by breakaways on climbs or he would not win. As a pure climber he requires massively less energy to climb to recover and to get away on climbs.

Froome is not boring by choice it is by virtue of his physique and weight. He is the superior athlete VO2 max, recovery and strength. His ability to climb and recover put him in the league of the greatest cyclists of all time. Lemond had mutant genes as well for example.

It the tour had all rounder composition as it did for the entire past he would win dramatically.

Contador was a super racer but don’t make it a romantic thing. It is all physiology and anatomy.